Category: visual

“In the Bouches-du Rhône in Arles, archaeologists have uncovered a sumptuous ancient treasure in what remains of a Roman villa dating from the 1st century BCE … After spending more than 2,000 years largely underground, the colors are still shimmering.”

“The rush of news and the controversy surrounding Fairey’s arrest have re-ignited a debate over the value of street art, its connection to unauthorized graffiti and vandalism and the increasing role that public art is playing in revitalizing and beautifying the city in myriad neighborhoods, from southwest Detroit to Eastern Market, downtown, the Grand River corridor and elsewhere.”

“There is a great deal to unpack here, so let’s begin with the claims. These are principally that at worst the museum produced a racist event, or at the least one that was culturally insensitive and exploitive.” (Don’t miss the reader comments, more thoughtful than usual.)

“The Wende Museum and Archive of the Cold War was founded by Justinian Jampol, an Oxford-educated scholar from Los Angeles who channeled his youthful obsession with Cold War iconography into a DIY passion project that now holds over 100,000 items in its collection.” (audio)

“The entire city of Timbuktu is listed as a World Heritage Site by Unesco. The city was considered the centre of Islamic learning from the 13th to the 17th Centuries. At one time it counted nearly 200 schools and universities that attracted thousands of students from across the Muslim world.”

“For many, the project’s cancellation is almost two years overdue.”

“Brussels has become one of the most dynamic art cities in Europe — an unpredictable and energizing mix of the local and the global in the shadow of the glass towers of the European Union superstructure.”

“It’s a strange thing to see airplanes underwater. Shipwrecks you expect, but not airplanes.”

“The email leaks, the Perenchio deal, and other questionable machinations — just how was Zumthor chosen anyway? — should give Angelenos pause. They don’t point to the high road that citizens expect their principal museum to take.”

“The impassioned young lay preacher felt compelled to live like local people, dressing in rags and sleeping on straw in a small and squalid hut at the back of the local baker’s, where he was heard sobbing at night. The church was not impressed and criticised him for ‘undermining the dignity of the ministry.'”